Summary Of Bonobos Vs. Chimpanzees

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Bonobos v. Chimpanzees: What can we learn about behavior during scarcity?

In her article “In the Bonobo World, Female Camaraderie Prevails,” Natalie Angier describes primatologists’ findings about bonobos, both in captivity and in the wild. Bonobos and chimpanzees are humans’ closest relatives. Chimpanzees and bonobos, not surprisingly, are sister species, but their behavioral patterns and societal structures are significantly different. Chimpanzees form patriarchal groupings in which female friendship or alliance is uncommon. They’re aggressive prone to violence among themselves. Bonobos “[defy] the standard primate rulebook.” The bonobos form matriarchal groups in wherein female bonobos “often [band] together to fend off male aggression.” The bonobos also use sexual contact as a means by which to settle disagreements, ease tensions, and show respect. Angier writes about the bonobos through a heavily human lens; she describes pacts, “girl-on-girl frottage”, sorority, and matchmaking. This creative license undercuts the very real scientific research Angier describes, making it difficult upon the first reading to discern fact from anthropomorphized fiction. However, upon rereading it becomes evident that bonobos and chimps actually …show more content…

Because of the abundance in their habitat, it has been hypothesized that females could forage within eyesight of one another without the need to fight, eventually resulting in affiliative behavior, displays of reciprocal respect, and kinship. This observation can be applied to humans as well: in wealthy societies, people tend to treat one another amicably, while in harsher circumstances, we resort to a more ‘every man for himself’

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